This opens up a vast resource of content to mobile users but it is of little value if they do not know which sites are formatted to fit their screens, what services they provide or even that they are available.

Thumbtips.com (http://www.thumbtips.com) is a new portal, currently in beta testing, which is especially designed for mobile phone users. Thumbtips.com provides a directory to phone compatible web sites that do not require wap configuration or special software or synchronization with PCs for access.

In general these are sites readily available to any phone, on any network as long as that phone has a web browser installed. Such sites are culled from 3 main categories of the standard web, sites designed strictly for mobile phones; sites designed for pdas which will fit mobile screens and text-only or standard sites which will display and function.

Thumbtips.com seeks out and organises these sites into sections that are easily and quickly navigable, providing both the neophyte and experienced mobile user with invaluable shortcuts to a wide range of sites. That many of these sites either duplicate or augment sites users are already using on their home/office PCs and PDAs means that the content scarcity is now a thing of the past.

As the mobile web comes into its' own it will evolve in 2 distinct ways, firstly as a medium with services uniquely native to itself and secondly as an extension to the accessibility of the traditional web itself.

Thumbtips.com seeks to be the central guide for the mobile phone user to the vast array of information and services available. As more content providers and businesses realise the potential of the mobile web and how much easier it now is to service it using plain HTML, the value of Thumbtips.com will become increasingly apparent.

Point your mobile browser to http://www.thumbtips.com and bookmark it.